Dutch Wonderland

Having missed Dutch Wonderland in the spring, we were determined to visit this fall.  Between weekend errands and Elise’s marathon training, we didn’t have much time, so we decided to make a day trip.  We arrived in Lancaster around 10am and stayed until the park closed at 6pm.  The kids had a blast at the “Amish Disneyland."  Henry couldn’t get enough of the log plume and roller coaster.  He rode the coaster eight(!) times before a green and queasy daddy said “no more.”  Vivian’s favorite part was getting her face painted like a fairy (see picture below).  It was a long day and, despite neither one wanting to leave, both Henry and Vivian were asleep in the car before we exited the parking lot!

 

 

 

 

Henry Talks Turkey

At the end of September, we visited the National Colonial Farm in Accokeek, Maryland.  The farm sits directly across the river from George Washington’s Mount Vernon and is meant to reflect what life was like on a small eighteenth-century tobacco farm.  We packed a picnic lunch and wandered around the property for several hours.  The kids enjoyed watching the farm animals, some of which were being groomed for the upcoming county fair.  Toward the end of our visit, we happened upon some turkeys.  Click on the video link below to watch Henry’s conversation with the birds.  A few minutes after we stopped filming, the birds got spooked and charged Henry, sending him fleeing in terror.  A memory to cherish…

 

 

Moving Up

After returning from summer break, Henry and Vivian both started in new classrooms at St. Anthony’s.  Henry moved to class 4B, his last stop before Kindergarten.  His new teacher, Ms. Rina, is working hard to get the children ready for next year.  She requires them to sit perfectly still during circle time (which has caused Henry some grief) and gives them a “test” each Friday to review what they have learned during the week.  Henry was so proud (and so were we) the week he answered the most questions on the test!  By some minor miracle, Ms. Rina has gotten Henry to eat the school lunches and, even more astoundingly, broccoli and salad.  Bryant nearly fell out of his chair when Henry started eating carrots at dinner.  Vivian moved to class 3A.  Her teachers report that she is a good listener, who likes to follow directions.  She spends most of her free time playing “housekeeping” (i.e., pretending to cook and caring for her dolls).   Vivian also is very, very independent: she insists on getting dressed, brushing her teeth, and putting on her socks and shoes without any help from her parents.  Just don’t try to tell her the shoes are on the wrong feet—she will NOT let you switch them (there’s a fine line between independence and stubbornness).  Both kids really like their school, and we could not be happier with the care they’re receiving at St. Anthony’s.

Tiny Dancer

Vivian began a “mommy and me” dance class at the local ballet studio, Tiny Dancers, this fall.  The girls practice basic ballet steps, read a story, and dress up in different costumes each week.  Vivian seems to be enjoying the class and proudly shows off her plié and different ballet positions at home for daddy.  But without a doubt, the best part of dance class is getting to wear a pink tutu and sparkly slippers in public.  Below are some pictures of our little ballerina on her way to dance class. 

 

Labor Day 2012

We traveled to Alabama at the end of August.  The kids’ preschool was closed for the week, and we decided it would be a good time to visit Mimi and Paw Paw at the beach in Gulf Shores (that was the theory, at least).  Unfortunately, our trip coincided with Hurricane Isaac, which rolled into the Gulf just as we arrived.  We got to spend one fantastic day at the beach (with some nice waves) before local officials issued mandatory evacuation notices.  So, less than 24 hours after we arrived at the condo, we were packing our bags and heading back to Mimi and Paw Paw’s house in Mobile.  The storm produced some wind and lots of rain but no real damage.  The hardest part was being stuck indoors for a week.  The kids did great overall—just being somewhere new and different (and some Disney DVDs) kept them distracted.  After the worst of the storm had passed, we ventured to the local children’s museum (the Exploreum), a couple of indoor moon bounce arenas, and in a first for our family, Chuck E. Cheese’s.  Along the way, we introduced Elise to the world famous Dew Drop Inn chili dog, which she seemed to enjoy (see below). Henry and Vivian didn’t seem to mind that we weren’t at the beach and had a great time exploring Paw Paw’s studio (lots of stuffed animals and western paraphernalia) and “swimming” in Mimi’s whirlpool tub (see picture below).  On our last day, the weather cleared and we took the kids for a day trip to Dauphin Island, where they got a few more hours at the beach.

It wasn’t quite the summer vacation we envisioned, but it proved to be relaxing (the kids developed a nice habit of sleeping until 8am) and, most importantly, we got to spend some quality time with Mimi and Paw Paw.  Below are some pictures from our week.